Michael Short
Michael Short is no stranger to the
Iowa Music scene. Born and raised in Fort Dodge Iowa, Mike played tuba
under the direction of Iowa composer and bandmaster Karl L. King in his
Municipal Band. After finishing a B.A. and a Master of Music in Tuba
Performance at the University of Northern Iowa, Mike taught band at
Central High School in Waterloo, Iowa. After this, he moved to Chicago
Illinois, where he lived for eight years and studied with the Chicago
Symphony Orchestra's great principal tubist and brass pedagogue, Arnold
Jacobs. While there, Mike appeared in a number of various venues,
including the Chicago Civic Orchestra, the Northbrook Symphony, the
Evanston Symphony, Whirlwind Brass Buintet and a number of local
traditional jazz groups. Among the highlights of his Chicago career was
his performance of the Vaughan Williams Tuba Concerto with the Lake
Shore Symphony Orchestra and his appearance on the 1985 Jazzology
rankings as 11th nationally in the jazz tuba category.
Since returning to Iowa to live in Des Moines, Mike's career has broadened in scope to include private teaching of trombone, bass trombone, euphonium and tuba, as well as performances on all of those instruments. Mike currently is principal tuba for the Des Moines Symphony Brass Quintet, the Central Brass Quintet, and the Central Iowa Symphony in Ames. He's played tuba for the Des Moines Symphony, the Cedar Rapids Symphony Orchestra, the Des Moines Municipal Band and the Des Moines Jazz Kings. He has played bass trombone and trombone for the Des Moines Symphony Orchestra, the Des Moines Big Band, the Des Moines Playhouse, the Des Moines Metro Opera, the Al Ford Orchestra, the Bob Weast Big Band, various performances at the Civic Center and the Red Sneaker Jazz Band. Mike has been teaching applied studies and brass methods at Central Iowa area colleges for over eight years, heading numerous clinics, recitals and symposiums (including the Des Moines Symphony's All-State Clinics). He taught low brass methods at Drake in the Spring of 1998. Mike has had one or more tuba students participating in the Iowa All-State Festival for each of the last six years. He is the organizer for the William Bell Memorial Tuba Day (clinic, rehearsals and concert), held in Perry, Iowa every November. Mike also writes new music reviews for the quarterly TUBA Journal, the official publication for the Tubists Universal Brotherhood Association (an international organization). More than two dozen of his reviews have been published over the last few years. He belongs to the Des Moines Musicians Association (AFM), where he is an executive board member. He also belongs to Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia, Pi Kappa Lambda, International Trombone Association (ITA), Iowa Bandmasters Association (IBA), and the National Association of College Wind and Percussion Instructors (NACWPI). |
Contact Michael Short
shortuba@msn.com
515.205.1487 |